Maxine’s Fireweed BistroMy new favorite .Everything about this place is excellent. The wine , food and service are all wonderful. I will go back again soon.6/10/2013 12:00:00 AMA very enjoyable eveningThis was our first time at Maxine's, but it won't be our last. We were able to take advantage of their Sunday Supper menu, which was abbreviated from their regular menu, but still covered all the bases and provided good choices. My duck was excellent and my wife's fillet the same. A delightful and pleasant salad started the meal, and the sides were very nice. The wine partnered the meal very well. The creme brulee was a great finish for the meal.
We dined in the solarium, which was light and airy, even with the roof mostly closed. Indoors, there are booths and tables, and a rather more intimate atmosphere, darker and more traditional.
The restaurant was fairly busy and our waitress similarly busy, but very professional.6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMUnexpected BlessingAte at this place on Saturday May 25, 2013. Driving up to the restaurant we thought what kind of a dive is this. Then when you step inside it all changes. Good atmosphere, good people, Good food, and yes we will be back.
Thanks!!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing food/chefI've never been disappointed when dining at Maxine's. The food the last time I went was especially amazing. I highly recommend this resturant to anyone in search of a fine dining experience.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMMaxine's is a Great Find!My husband and I eat at Maxine's at least once a week! We have introduced it to several of our friends and recommend it on Facebook! Chef Rob is absolutely an amazing food artist! The staff is always friendly and accommodating! Excellent food and service every time! Maxine's is Gem!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMFun foodSeemed like our server had too many tables. A little slower service this time and less attention. Not a negative , a comment. Great food that's a taste odessy! Lots of unique flavors. Well be back!5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMYumFood was excellent, but we waited almost an hour and a half. Reservations at 8:00 on Friday night for the solarium were sat in the dining room and it took the waiter nearly half an hour to take our orders and the food took nearly 1.5 hours to come out after that! Good thing we were with good company! They were out of several selections one of which we came there to get. Service was uninformed and poor, for the price, I would expect the whole package. I have been there once before and the service was much better. Meals were excellent. But some selections were absolutely, extremely expensive, given the atmosphere and quality of service. The restaurant does offer a wide varietty of pricing options.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat spot to eatGreat little place to eat. Food was great. Portions are a little smaller bu very tasty. Service staff was very good. will definatly go again.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMA Delight!Always a treat. You can go in not even hungry and by the time you read the menu your mouth will be watering! They take care with every detailThe hardest thing is trying to decide what to order...everything looks great4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMNice for small sized groupsNice for small sized groups (up to 6) you are not crammed into an "off corner" of the restaurant or crowded in too closely with other diners (such as was our experience at Villa Nova). We all agreed we'd return to Maxines either as a group or in couples. I found the hostess to be somewhat aloof but the rest of the team were warm and accommodating which is what really counts!
I realize a menu can be fluid depending upon what's fresh that week, but Maxine's website could do with a bit of updating, they've added some wonderful changes to their menu that is worth noting.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMexcellent food and service!!!excellent food and service!!! we will definitely go back and dine.. ;)4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMI didn't know it was thereI didn't know it was there until last week. I was there two weeks in a row..fun, tasty gourmet food.3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMI have never had a bad meal-I have never had a bad meal- food is always 1st class.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for a grown up eveningIt was perfect for an evening out with friends ... food was delicious and courses were spaced out perfectly3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat restaurantWhile small, it was absolutely one of the best dining experiences we've had in Anchorage. Highly recommended! Reservations recommended.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat little neighborhoodGreat little neighborhood bistro to meet a friend after work and enjoy the comfortable atmosphere. The staff is polite and attentive, without being overly so. The food is very good with a lovely selection, particularly the seafood options.
By the way, my husband believes Maxines serves some of the best cheeseburgers in town.
Enjoy.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the appetizers, but...I love Maxine's for the small plates and appetizers, but went with the steak on this occasion and was thrilled! My steak was done perfectly and the vegetables complimented the meal (the spinach was flavourful and perfectly cooked and the crispy potatoes were a surprising treat). Will definately be back and plan to continue mining the menu for nuggets.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was my first time toThis was my first time to go on Sunday for their new family style dining. Everything was delicious. The sides ( brussels sprouts, scalloped potatoes, squash and cauliflower could have been hotter and were cooked more than I like but the flavors were interesting. Our entrees were excellent. I had the pork belly which was a perfect match for my wine choice, a merlot from Nappa. It was heavenly. My husband said, "let's just always go here on Sundays from now on" which was something I have never heard from him before!3/3/2013 12:00:00 AMPretty good. Worth checking out.Overall: Good but not great; would go back. A couple very good things, some mediocrity, nothing was bad.
Steak was properly cooked, spinach side was very good (some places overcook or slather spinach in all manner of nonsense - this was just good garlic spinach - yum!). Bacon on the steak was unnecessary as the caramelized onions held their own. Perhaps switch to a steak butter or even a rub. Bacon says "this cut of meat isn't good enough to stand on its own".
Scallops were slightly overcooked, perhaps enroute to table. But preparation was nice and full of flavor.
Fig/cheese flatbread was good enough, but was missing something (acid or perhaps different herbs).
Wines seemed rather highly marked up for their quality.3/2/2013 12:00:00 AMIlove the responsiveness ofIlove the responsiveness of the staff to special dietary needs. I'm Gluten and Dairy intolerant and they always work with me to make my dining experience a great one.2/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways a treat!Maxine's Fireweed Bistro is a great restaurant. We have been there several times and the food is always unique and special. The service is great. It is always nice when the waiter/waitress is present and attentive but you are given your space and privacy. Maxine's is always an amazing experience!2/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing food qualityThe food quality was outstanding. My wife and I both ordered an appetizer and an entree and each plate was cooked, plated, and prepped perfectly. The steak I ordered med rare and had great flavor. Portion size was perfect as well. Overall food experience was phenomenal. Two things made this experience not so great was the cramped space and the noise level. For a romantic-ish fine dining restaurant it seems more like you are at a concert yelling at you're loved one 2 feet away. Very loud. Although I appreciate cozy romantic diners - either getting bumped into every 5 min. or having to pull my chair in to avoid it - or just generally having the feeling that we were "in the way" of the wait staff was rather annoying.2/15/2013 12:00:00 AMFor the price and the quality,For the price and the quality, I felt the portions were on the skimpy side.2/14/2013 12:00:00 AMEnjoyed a Valentines Day dinnerEnjoyed a Valentines Day dinner with delicious food. It was a bit loud at the time, but can likely be attributed to the larger party right next to us. The waiter seemed to be temporary help and was not very familiar with the menu, but was still helpful and did what he could. The food was fantastic so we will certainly go back.2/14/2013 12:00:00 AMBased on the outside of theBased on the outside of the building, you'd never guess how good the food is. Menu is innovative, and tasty. Portions are a bit small (not a bad thing!), but if you're a big eater, you may want to order more than you'd think. The only drawback we encountered is that the wine storage area may be too close to the kitchen (or something emitting heat), as the bottle of wine we ordered was definitely warmer than it should have been (probably about 75 degrees).2/14/2013 12:00:00 AMThis truly is a Neighborhood GemMaxines is one of our favorite restaurants for all the reasons above: delectable and unique entrees, warm atmosphere and great staff. Located within a house-like atmosphere reminds me of places we've been to in Portland. I wish there were more of these in Anchorage!2/10/2013 12:00:00 AMThe surf and turf appetizerThe surf and turf appetizer is by far one of the best dishes I've ever had. Although the prices where a little high this will now be my go to fancy dinner spot.2/1/2013 12:00:00 AMWorth it! Make reservationsMade reservations through Open Table and was immediately seated upon arriving. We had a very attentive server who wasn't afraid to recommend some delicious food. The presentation and taste of the food we ordered was brilliant! We decided to sample the small plates and can genuinely say everything was worth ordering again...which we will do soon!2/1/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Place for TapasMy friend and I stopped here prior to going to the theatre. We wanted a light meal and were not disappointed. We shared three appetizers and had more than enough food. The surf and turf was perfectly prepared. The steak absolutely wonderful. This was our least favorite out of the three, and it was very, very good. The pork belly tempura was delightful. Light and delicate, with wonderful flavors. We'll be hard pressed not to order this one in the future. The winner of the evening, however, was the brie and fig flatbread. This was so wonderful I had to attempt to recreate it the following evening at home for my husband (mine was good, but not as good as Maxine's). We will definitely dine here more often.1/25/2013 12:00:00 AMA Great new gustatory choice!We very much enjoyed our meal at Maxine's. The wonton tacos were a flavorful, crunchy, pleasant beginning; the salads were a little small but very creative and delicious. My dining partner enjoyed her vegetarian main course, and my saltimbocca with polenta was wonderful. Patrick, our server, was attentive and personable, and his assistant kept a close eye on us to make sure that we had everything we needed whenever Patrick was busy with other patrons. We'll be back!1/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat place. Our seafood specialGreat place. Our seafood special was slightly undercooked so they immediately took it back to prepare a fresh meal. In the meantime they gave us a complimentary wonton taco order. Service was very responsive and food was delicious.1/12/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was very good andThe food was very good and we enjoyed our time there.1/1/0001 4:00:00 PM